MBC ACADEMY – the educational and training arm of the MENA region’s largest and leading media company, MBC GROUP – announces the launch of “Fikraty” (note to English-language media: “fikraty” translates into “my idea”), an initiative aimed at discovering and fostering writing talent from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world.
The Fikraty talent programme encourages aspiring writers to bring their ideas to life through the written word. The programme will later collaborate with MBC GROUP and its leading streaming platform, Shahid VIP to transform top submissions into full drama TV productions on the network.
Jana Yamani, Executive Director of MBC ACADEMY & Talents explained: “The launch of Fikraty is born out of our ethos of supporting new talent from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and beyond, as well as searching and presenting unique content, particularly in the field of TV drama.
“It’s immensely important for us to discover and nurture promising talent from the Arab world. We promise to offer them the right support, investment, and appropriate platforms to see their how their ideas can transform from a small idea to a fully-fledged TV title. We look forward to discovering these talented young men and women; working with them and helping them shape their writing into professional scripts. The wider group is ready to collaborate with the candidates accepted into Fikraty and MBC Academy by bringing the work they present onto our channels and platforms.”
She concluded: “Fikraty opens MBC GROUP’s doors, providing unfettered access to the promising talent to present their distinguished and diverse stories to our executives who are keen on encouraging and showcasing voices that are otherwise unheard.”
Ali Jaber, MBC GROUP Director of TV added: “By expanding our team of writers and creatives, we are able to introduce a host of diverse and interesting stories to our line-up, whilst tapping into a new generation of writing talent in the region who have a fresh outlook on life; a world that can resonate with young audiences. MBC GROUP will guarantee full intellectual property rights to their work, in line with our mission to protect the content rights of creators.
“We aim to attract the most promising new Arab talent from around the world, harness their capabilities, and equip them with the appropriate skills to become shining elements in our industry. Jana’s efforts through Fikraty will offer significant job opportunities and help us at MBC GROUP expand and refresh our pool of talent.”
On his part, Jakob Mejhede, Chief Content Officer of Shahid VIP, commented: “Here at Shahid VIP and MBC GROUP, we are incredibly passionate about discovering new writers and talent – it’s crucial to provide an outlet for those individuals who can make a difference to the industry. And as we know, it’s now more important than ever to present unique, an edgy and thought-provoking content for our audiences.
“Our mission is to have Shahid VIP become the leading destination for high-end Arabic-language scripted content – whether provided by leading producers or promising newcomers.”
Finally, not only will successful candidates see their ideas transformed to the small screen, they will also be in with the chance of receiving part of a special new fund dedicated to these new productions.
Announced by MBC GROUP CEO, Marc Antoine d’Halluin he stated: “This special fund of $250,000 has been contributed by MBC GROUP Chairman, Waleed Al-Ibrahim himself, which is a fantastic addition to Fikraty. This fund will be invested in the best projects submitted to the initiative by these young creative producers. We cannot wait to discover what the region has to offer.”
